North Japan
The Democratic People's Republic of Japan (Japanese: 日本の民主人民共和国; Hepburn: Nihon no minshujinminkyōwakoku), commonly referred to as North Japan, is a country in East Asia that encompasses the northern half of the Japanese archipelago. It is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Sea of Japan to the west. It has no land borders except with South Japan. , located in , is the country's capital and largest city with a population of 1.9 million. Japan was invaded by the on July 15, 1945 and the northern half of the country fell under Russian control. The United States then dropped two atomic bombs on the cities of a month later, compelling Japan's surrender. The began its occupation of the southern half while the Soviets occupied the north. The north was then governed by a provisional socialist government installed by the Soviets from 1946 until 1953 when the DPRJ was proclaimed by Rokuro Matsushita, the first premier. North Japan is officially a socialist state and has been ruled by the Japanese Workers Party (JWP) for over seven decades. The party has been accused of various human rights abuses, particularly violations of freedom of speech and the press, claims the party denies. Elections are held in the country every three years but their validity has been questioned by the U.S. and its allies. It is a developed country whose standards of living have increased since economic reforms were undertaken during the mid-1960s which opened up trade with North Japan's neighbors as well as relaxing various government controls. However, North Japan's economy remains highly centralized which critics claim is responsible for its under performance compared to its southern counterpart while its supporters claim is responsible for the decrease of social inequality. It is a member of the and the Eastern Bloc. It maintains relations with all nations as well as most members. History Pacific War (1941-1945) The United States declared war on Japan on December 8, 1941, the day after the , which began the Pacific theater of World War II. After the war in Europe ended, the US was determined to finish the war in the Pacific and began moving closer to the Japanese homeland with preparations to invade it. However, on July 15, 1945, the day before the Trinity test, the Soviet Union invaded Japan from the Sakhalin oblast and successfully captured to the northern half of the country. Despite half the country under Russian control, the Empire of Japan continued the war, keeping the Soviets to the north while attempting to prevent a U.S. invasion of the south. Because the Japanese forces were split between halting the Soviet advance and defending the south, casualty estimates from a U.S. invasion were lower than President Truman anticipated. Still, in electing to avoid more American deaths, he authorized the use of Little Boy to destroy Hiroshima. Three days later, Fat Man was dropped on Nagasaki, which prompted the Japanese surrender on August 15. The United States then began its occupation of the south on August 28. Japan was effectively split in half between the Soviet Union and the United States. Post-war (1953-1960) The Soviets' direct occupation of the north only lasted a year before a Soviet-backed provisional was installed to govern the north. This government, made up of mostly Russian born politicians, lasted until it was dissolved by the Japanese Workers' Council in 1953, the year after the US ended its occupation of the south. The council elected Rokuro Matsuhita as the premier of North Japan who then declared the establishment of the Democratic People's Republic of Japan to replace the Russian government. Matsuhita immediately adopted a stiff foreign policy in regards to the US and NATO following the under the US-allied government. The North Japanese economy, which had been devastated by the war, was almost completely nationalized by the DPRJ. Central planners were influenced by the command economies of other socialist and communist countries and economic initiatives were undertaken based on these systems. Kaifuku (回復 lit. "recovery") was the first of these initiatives, launched in 1954 and focusing primarily on industrial production and urbanization of the populace. It decreased the unemployment rate from 43% to only 19% during the first five years. In 1960 Kaifuku was revised to place greater emphasis on North Japan's agricultural sector. Food production increased dramatically, briefly surpassing that of its southern neighbor. The North Japanese government generated billions in revenue from exports to the Soviet Union, , and other Eastern Bloc nations. Kaifuku was retired after 1962 and replaced with a another policy entitled Jizoku kanōsei (持続可能性 lit. "sustainability") which acted as a more long-term economic plan focusing and maintaining the growth achieved by Kaifuku. Rokuro Matsushita resigned in 1963 and was replaced by Hanako Matsumoto. Matsumoto administration (1963-1968) Matsumoto's term as Premier started with increased tensions with South Japan and the U.S. after the latter announced plans to place 10,000 troops near the Japanese demilitarized zone (JDMZ). Unlike the South, the North did not renounce the use of offensive war and promised to respond to what it perceived as aggressive maneuvers by the US. Naval confrontations between the DPRJ Navy and the U.S. Navy also did not help matters. Matsumoto bolstered the North Japanese foreign policy, asserting that the DPRJ was the legitimate government of not only the north, but the south as well and threatened to enforce this claim should the US attempt any more "Aggressive measures". Military expenditures were increased and, perhaps most controversially, a nuclear weapons research program was upstarted. North Japan also threatened to boycott the in Tokyo but did not follow through after failing to gather support from Soviet Union or other communist allies. These foreign issues were then compounded by a decline in economic growth which put Matsumoto in an precarious position. Matsumoto knew it would be impossible to convince the Party to consider economic liberalization so instead she focused her efforts on forging relations with , reminiscent of the wartime alliance formed nearly 30 years prior. The East German economy was the strongest in the Eastern Bloc and Matsumoto hoped to learn from their success. She proposed a package of agreements aimed at sharing the two countries economic potential, including reduced restrictions and tariffs on GDR-DPRJ imports and exports. Government North Japan is a socialist state as outlined by the Constitution of the DPRJ. The executive branch is effectively a triumvirate consisting of the Chairman of the Japanese Workers Party, the Premier of the DPRJ, and the President of the People's Assembly. The country's legislature is the unicameral Japanese People's Assembly Law The supreme law in North Japan is the Constitution of the Democratic People's Republic of Japan which describes the country as "One nation under a socialist system that shall promote equality and protect the rights of the Japanese worker." Elections Elections for the People's Assembly are held every three years. Most of the seats are won by the JWP though a small amount of seats are won by the Party for National Unity. Both share the same socialist ideology, the latter of which supporting reunification with South Japan under a socialist government. According to defectors, other parties are technically allowed but they are heavily monitored by the government and voting for them can invite scrutiny from authorities. Because of this, they only receive a handful of votes each election. The United States as well as other countries and international organizations have criticized the North Japanese electoral process, calling it "undemocratic and untransparent." The most recent election was held in 2013 and the next is scheduled for 2016.